MLCSU Gender Pay Gap Report

Introduction

All organisations within the United Kingdom with more than 250 employees have been required since April 2017 to publish details of their gender pay gap. The specific requirements of the Equality Act 2010 Act (Gender Pay Gap Regulations) 2017 are to publish information for the six specific measures detailed in this report.

MLCSU was established on 1 April 2013 from predecessor organisations predominantly Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).

Employees work from bases across England with the main hubs being Lancashire, Staffordshire and Central Midlands.

As at the 31 March 2017 the organisation had 1,370 employees. The organisation is predominately female, making up 65.04% of the workforce.

Gender Profile

The gender profile of MLCSU is as follows:

Remuneration Policy

98.76% of 1,370 employees are on NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) pay grades ranging from Band 2 to Band 9. The AfC job evaluation system allocates posts, in accordance with responsibility to set pay bands. As employees successfully develop their skills and knowledge they progress in annual increments up to the maximum of their pay band.

The framework for the remuneration of senior managers and directors is set by the Department of Health through the Executive and Senior Managers (ESM) pay framework for arm’s length bodies. 0.80% of 1,370 employees are engaged as ESM’s with a further 0.44% of 1,370 employees on Local Ad Hoc pay scales.

Employees are governed by HM Treasury‘s pay remit and are subject to current public sector pay rules and pay restraint.

What is our gender pay gap?

MLCSU recognises that it does have a gender gap problem.

Gender pay gap

%

1. Mean gender pay gap – Ordinary pay

9.13%

2. Median gender pay gap – Ordinary pay

3.46%

Based on the Government’s methodology MLCSU has a mean gender pay gap of 9.13%. This is calculated as the percentage difference between the average hourly salary for men and the average hourly salary for women. The median gender pay gap of 3.46% is calculated as the percentage difference between the mid-point hourly salary for men and the mid-point hourly salary for women.

This means our average male salary (mean or median) is higher than our average female salary.

What is our bonus gender pay gap?

MLCSU does not have a bonus gender pay gap.

MLCSU since its inception has not paid bonuses to its employees, even though there has been an option, for senior managers and directors in the terms and conditions and as part of Executive and Senior Managers pay arrangements. There is no scope for bonus payments within the Agenda for Change terms and conditions of service.

As a result, there are no males or females in receipt of bonus payments.

What proportion of males and females are in each pay quartile?

Quartile

Employee Count

Female %

Male %

1

343

69.94%

30.06%

2

342

60.30%

39.70%

3

342

68.41%

31.59%

4

343

56.34%

43.66%

69.94% of employees in the lower quartile are female, compared to 56.34% in the upper quartile. As 65.04% of MLCSU employees are female, this demonstrates that a significant driver for the pay gap is a consequence of having a lower proportion of women in higher pay bands.

The chart below further demonstrates that we have a significantly higher proportion of women in our lower banded roles.

Option 2 – Contribution of pay bands to the mean pay gap

What are we doing to close the gap?

MLCSU is committed to addressing the gender pay gap and is currently undertaking a range of actions to reduce the gap and ensure an equal and workplace:

Coaching and resilience programmes

Promotion of Equality and Inclusion across the CSU to bring a spotlight on the diversity and inclusion agenda within the organisation.

Supporting the development and growth of our local Staff Engagement Forums